If Only You Could Save Me
by Anonamus-A
Summary: Sequel to If Only You Could Hear Me. Eddie is getting close to Sibuna, and Patricia is trying to keep him safe. Can they both get what they want? E/P multi-chap. The beginning's a bit odd. Sorry.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own HOA, and I never will. Aw.

If Only You Could Save Me

Chapter 1

There was a knock on the door and Nina burst in. She reeled back when she saw me with Patricia. We'd jumped apart instantly, but she'd already seen too much.

"Sorry!" she exclaimed, face a little red. "Patricia... Maybe I'll come back later..." Nina turned to leave. Patricia looked torn, so I was sure this was something important. I smiled.

"Go." She smiled, kissed me on the cheek, and ran after Nina. I stood there for a moment before deciding I should probably go back to my room. At the top of the stairs, I noticed Nina, Patricia, Fabian, Amber, and Alfie standing in the lobby. I probably would have gone straight down, but something about their meeting made me decide against that. They were looking around, seemingly waiting. Finally, Nina nodded.

"I think we're good," she said, putting a key in the lock of the cellar door.

"Tell me again," Fabian said, sounding a little confused, "why do we need the amulets?" Now I was confused. Amulets?

Nina sighed. "Because if you don't have one, the beacon at the entrance to the tunnel will blind you for a day."

Now, I was seriously confused. A tunnel? A beacon? Blindness? That last one stirred something in the back of my mind, but I couldn't put my finger on it. With that, however, they disappeared into the basement.

I was frozen, not sure what had just happened or what they were up to. Then the clock chimed. I looked at my watch. Eleven o'clock. I hadn't realized how late it was. Shaking my head, I made my way back to my room.

I put on some music and laid down. I wasn't sure how long I had been there, but I eventually drifted off to sleep.

~OoO~

When I woke up, the room was dark. Hadn't I fallen asleep without turning the light off? I glanced at my clock. It was seven-thirty A.M. With a soft groan, I sat up. My head throbbed. After turning on my lamp, I looked around. Fabian was fast asleep in his bed.

I would have gone back to sleep, but the throbbing in my head was hard to ignore. With a sigh, I stood and grabbed fresh clothes. Maybe a shower would help. The bathroom was empty, as most of the guys tended to sleep in on the weekends.

When I was done, I didn't feel any better than when I woke up. Regardless, I went into the kitchen to find food. Vera was there, making breakfast. She was surprised to see me.

"You're up early." I shrugged, popping some bread in the toaster. I must have looked off because she got a curious look on her face. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Fine." She raised an eyebrow. "You have any painkillers?"

"Of course. Hang on." She disappeared out of the kitchen. My toast popped up. As I was spreading strawberry jelly (or rather, jam, but I could never figure out the difference) on a slice, Vera came back in with a bottle of Tylenol. She handed me two and a glass of orange juice. I took them quickly.

"Thanks." With that, I grabbed my toast and juice and went to the dining room table. The only other ones there were Mara and Joy. Joy gave me an odd look.

"You're actually awake before ten? Shocking." I rolled my eyes, but didn't say anything.

"Are you okay, Eddie?" Mara asked. "You look a little pale."

"Do I?" I asked, not really paying attention.

"Maybe he's catching Patricia's cold," Joy said with a knowing smile. Mara gave her a confused look, to which Joy nodded. I sighed as Mara caught on, eyes going wide. A smile spread across her face. I didn't hear what she said next. Suddenly, I wasn't hungry. In fact, I felt sick... I dropped my toast and ran to the bathroom, knocking a sleepy Alfie out of my way.

"Hey! Oh..." He backed away. "I'll... I'll go tell Vera to get you some cold medicine or something..."

I felt awful. There was a dark laugh. In the corner of my eye, I saw a shadow. When I looked up, nothing was there. No person, no shadow. I was alone.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Almost as soon as the sickness came, it was gone. I felt fine. My head didn't hurt (though that could be due to the painkillers), my stomach didn't feel yucky, my skin wasn't pale. I was fine.

Of course, Patricia had to come down when I was still sick, so she knew. But, I was given a nice surprise.

"Are you okay?" she asked, sitting next to me. I smiled.

"You got you're voice back." She shrugged. "And I'm fine."

"If you say so." I rolled my eyes. Still, I was all but forced to eat saltine crackers to settle my stomach. I held it down.

My temperature was completely normal. "I wonder what in the world was wrong," Vera mused. I did the first thing that came to mind; I stretched the truth.

"Well, I wasn't feeling too hot yesterday, either. Maybe it was a twenty-four hour flu or something." She didn't look convinced, but let it drop. Still, I was told to get some rest. So, I had a day of bed rest, listening to music and talking to the others.

~OoO~

It was Monday. School had just ended and Patricia and I were walking back to Anubis House. She tried to start a conversation, but my mind just wasn't there. I was trying to make scense of the laughing and shadow in the bathroom. But my head hurt just thinking about it.

"Penny for your thoughts," she said, breaking my little bubble. I shook my head to get rid of the fog, coming back to reality.

"It's nothing." She raised an eyebrow. I sighed. "I was just trying to remember something."

"What?" After a second's hesitation, I gave her an evasive answer.

"When I was sick. I thought I heard someone laughing." This made Patricia smile a little.

"Any idea who?"

"None. I think it was a girl, but it sounded more like an evil laugh." She snorted.

"Did it sound like the Wicked Witch of the West?" she asked, a smile in her voice.

"Sure, laugh it up."

"I'm sorry."

"But, no. It didn't sound like the Wicked Witch of the West. It was more like Muh-wah-hahahahaha!"

"Impressive evil laugh." I smiled.

"Thank you." I hesitated again. She was probably already thinking I was insane, hearing evil laughs in the bathroom. Should I tell her about the shadow? I decided against it. "It's a safe bet I was just imagining things."

"You think?" By this point, we were walking into the house. We headed towards the living room, seeing Amber and Nina on the couch. Nina was combing through Amber's hair, while Amber used a mirror to inspect it.

"I think it's finally all gone," Nina said, putting the comb down. Amber sighed in relief.

"Thank goodness!"

"What's all gone?" I asked. They jumped, having not seen us.

"Um... Amber got a new pillow cover, and there were fuzzies all over her head," Nina said. For some reason, I didn't believe her.

"Nina, you realize you're terrible at lying right." She bit her lip. "All you have to do is stay calm, be confident, and keep eye contact. If you look down and to the left, like you did, it's a sure sign you're lying. You let your voice get to high, you might need to work on that." I turned towards the kitchen, but decided to add something. "And always remember, the best lies carry an element of truth." They were all looking at me, bewildered. With a sly smile, I turned and went to make a sandwich.

"Gee, Patricia," Nina muttered, "you sure know how to pick 'em." I could almost see Amber's confused face, mouth open a little, trying to make a connection. There was a gasp.

"NO! WAY!" She squealed.

"Thanks a lot, Nina," Patricia groaned as Amber droned on about how cute all of this was. I laughed.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I'm not exactly sure what wrist Patricia's mark is on, but I'm making my best guess. Please, correct me if I'm wrong.

Chapter 3

It was nice out. The temperature was a comfortable seventy and a cool breeze blew. In other words, it was too nice to stay inside. Most of us Anubis residents went outside. We dressed like it was summer. Although, I noticed Patricia was wearing one of the arm sweatbands bands that have a letter (in this case P) on them. But only one, on her left wrist.

I raised an eyebrow, pointing at it. She just shrugged. "Are we going to go, or not?" I smiled.

"Let's." We walked through the woods, just talking. After a while, we decided to sit under a shady tree. I pulled two granola bars out of my bag and handed one to her. She took it. We ate in silence. After a few more minute, we kept walking.

We reached a creek with a log going across. "Ladies first," I said, motioning across. She started across, me right behind her. But the log was a bit slippery and she started to lose her balance. Instinctively, I reached out, grabbing her wrist. For a moment, I thought I had her steady again, but she wobbled again. Only, this time, she completely lost her footing.

Because I was holding onto her wrist, I went down with her. The sweatband came off in my hand, but I couldn't stop gravity. We landed in the water below with a sploosh! It's a good thing the creek was only about two feet deep and a few feet below the log. Still, we were all but drenched.

Patricia's hair was matted in her face. I couldn't help but laugh. I think she might of scowled (it was hard to tell), but she started laughing too. She started moving the hair plastered to her face when I noticed it. A black mark on her wrist. The one that had been covered.

Curious, I grabbed her hand. "What are you doing?" she asked with a laugh. Then she looked down at her wrist. She tried to pull it away, but I wouldn't let go. She sighed in defeat as I studied the mark.

It looked like a dog or something, but I wasn't sure. "What's this?" She didn't answer. "It... It looks like a tattoo."

"Well, it's not." Her voice was sharp. I raised an eyebrow. "Look, I'm sorry. I just..."

"I get it," I said, pushing the (now soaked) sweatband back on her wrist. "I've kept my share of secrets. You can tell me when you're ready." I tried not to let the irony get to me. She hates me when I keep secrets, but it's okay if she does? Make any sense to you? Oh well. I worked hard enough to get her to admit she liked me. I wasn't going to ruin that because of a... not-tattoo.

~OoO~

"It's ten o'clock!" Victor's voice boomed. "You all know what that means. You have five minutes, and then I want to hear a pin... drop." I ran to the stairs. I was at the top when he dropped the pin. As I ran down, he glared daggers at me.

"Sorry," I muttered as I passed him. I was in my room before he could say anything. Fabian didn't look up from his computer. I sat on the bed, but the silence annoyed me. I could have gone for some Sick Puppies... but when I reached for my iPod, it wasn't there. I groaned when I remembered where it was.

"What?" Fabian asked, but didn't sound like he cared.

"Nothing. I left my iPod up Patricia's room."

"So, go get it." I looked at him, eyebrow raised. He noticed this. "What?"

"You're suggesting I break curfew?" I asked with sarcastic shock. "Oh wait, if memory serves, you do it all the time." He shrugged.

"Give it a few minutes, Victor will go in his office and you can sneak up." So I waited. "I'd say you're safe," he told me. I nodded and walked out quietly. I kept low as I made my way up the stairs. The light in Victor's office was on. I could hear him talking.

Curious, I made my to his door. I stayed out of sight, but listened closely. "What are we going to do, Corbiere?" he asked. I peeked up. It took me a moment to realize that he was talking to the stuffed bird. I would have laughed if I hadn't been trying not to be caught. "If I solve the challenge, they will know I've been down there. But if I don't, they will have no chance of success."

I wondered what he was talking about. After a second, I decided to peek up again. He was holding something. It looked like a large oval on a black string. A necklace? For some reason, I couldn't really see Victor wear jewelry. But, this didn't seem like a normal necklace.

Shaking my head, I decided to just get my iPod and go. I wasn't noticed, and made my way down the girls' hall. I noticed light spilling out of a door that was ajar. Nina and Amber's voices reached me. I knew I shouldn't have listened in, but I couldn't help myself. Somewhere, in the back of my mind, I wondered why I was eavesdropping so much tonight.

"Do you really think it's fake?" Amber asked.

"I don't know," Nina admitted. "We know Victor has one, and this is the one Patricia was wearing when she went blind..." I thought back to a few days before. Hadn't Fabian asked why they needed an amulet? Nina had told him... she told him that without one, you would lose your sight for a day. Patricia had lost her sight for a day... because he amulet didn't work? This didn't make any sense.

"But how would he have known where it was?" she continued. "We had it hidden in the doll house..." She trailed off.

"What?" Amber asked.

"If he searched our rooms and found the spare, he must have found the map too!"

"So now he knows how to get through the tunnels?" Amber asked.

"I think so..." I decided I'd had enough weirdness for one day and left. I didn't make any more detours, going straight to Patricia's room. After I knocked softly, there was a shuffling before the door opened. A sleepy Joy opened the door.

"What?" she yawned.

"I left my iPod up here." She rolled her eyes.

"Where?" I thought.

"Probably on Patricia's night stand." She went over and grabbed it. After glaring at me for another moment, she pushed it back into my hand and closed the door in my face.

"Sweet dreams," I muttered.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I wasn't sure exactly what the first part of the riddle was, as the quality wasn't very good when I went to listen to it. I know that everything after the first comma is right, but if the first part isn't, please correct me. Thanks. -A

Chapter 4

My dreams were weird and confusing. First, I was in... a lab? A basement? Both? There were test tubes and beakers filled with colorful liquid, but the room itself gave me the impression of a basement.

There were people in cloaks and masks. They were chanting. Someone drank something out of a skull. It was disturbing, but the scene changed. I was looking at a golden cup. It seemed to gleam in it's own light and was decorated in, what looked like, hieroglyphics. Then I was in a packed old attic. Words surrounded me.

"The proper nan is the place to look. Lift the wings to find the book. Hidden in this book of old, water of life; tears of gold." That made no sense. I was finding that a lot of things about Anubis House didn't make sense, and I was sure this had to do with Anubis.

Then I was in the dark. Around me, I could feel the presence of others. "Sibuna?" one of them said, but it sounded like a bit of a question. And it sounded like Nina...

"Sibuna!" the other chanted. Then I heard a laugh. The same laugh I thought I'd heard in the bathroom when I was sick. I found myself in the front hall of Anubis House. A shadowy woman stood before me, smiling evilly. She looked timeless.

"You're getting too close," she said in a mystic voice. I took a step back. She laughed again. "Secrets are like a house of cards. It takes time to build them up, but they're so easy to topple over."

"I'm not hiding anything... important." She smiled again.

"Be careful what house of cards you knock over, child." The world faded to black, but her laugh came with me.

I woke up suddenly, sitting bolt upright. I was sweating and gasping for breath. My heart seemed like it way trying to break free from my chest.

"Just a dream," I panted. "Just a nightmare." For some reason, I couldn't quite believe myself.

~OoO~

Unable to sleep, I found myself Googling the things from the dream that made the least sense. Sibuna. Nothing (though I did realize it was Anubis spelled backwards). Water of life. Just stuff about getting safe drinking water worldwide. Nothing that seemed to fit. Tears of gold. A song. The lyrics didn't strike me as relevant. Golden cup with hieroglyphics. Nothing specific.

Frustrated, I gave up. It was just a dream. Why would it have any meaning? But something about it... I shivered. There was one thing I knew; I had to get to the bottom of this. Then, words from the dream replayed themselves in my mind. 'Be careful what house of cards you knock over, child.'

No... The shadow woman wasn't real. Just a figment of my imagination. A very vivid and terrifying figment... With a sigh, I slumped back down, head falling into my pillows.

I wasn't sure how long it was, but eventually I fell into a fitful, dreamless sleep. Needless to say, I didn't wake up very refreshed.

~OoO~

"Wake up!" a voice exclaimed, shaking my shoulder. My eyes snapped open. I was in a classroom. Chemistry. I sat up, my eyes only just open. My head was still filled with fog.

"Sorry, Dad." All the chatter in the room died down. I didn't realize what I'd said until Patricia slapped me (somewhat lightly) on the cheek, giving me a 'red alert!' look. I was instantly awake. "Er... Mr. Sweet." A second later, everyone burst into laughter. It was immediately clear that they were laughing at the fact that I fell asleep in class and called Mr. Sweet Dad, rather than realized that he really was.

"See me after class," he said with a sigh. I nodded. Class drug on, but I stayed awake. Granted, I was paying little to no attention, but I stayed conscious. Finally, the bell rang. Everyone else filed out, but I stayed in my seat. Patricia waited outside the door.

"What's wrong with you?" Mr. Swee... Dad asked. I shrugged.

"Didn't sleep well last night." He looked at me expectantly. "I kept waking up. No big deal. It happens." He sighed.

"Please, try not to let it happen again." I nodded. As I started to walk away, his voice called me back. "Still not ready for them to know, I see." I sighed.

"No." Before he could say anything else, I was gone. Patricia gave me a look like she too wanted an explanation, but I shook my head and she let it drop. For the time being, anyway.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Are you going to tell me what happened?" she asked for the hundredth time. I closed my eyes and took a breath.

"Are you going to tell me about your wrist?" She opened her mouth to speak, but couldn't seem to think of anything.

"You're so annoying," she sighed. I smiled.

"Thank you. And you're stubborn." This made her crack a smile. What can I say? It's a love-hate relationship.

"Will you tell me later?" she asked. I thought.

"Maybe. Why should I?" She smiled a bit evilly before pressing her lips softly on mine for just a second.

"I think you can figure that one out on your own." I smiled again.

"Is that a bribe?" This time I actually got a laugh.

"What do you think?"

"I think may have to take you up on that." She was about to say something, but the warning bell rang and we had to split up and get to class.

~OoO~

It's hard paying attention to math when the people in front of you are whispering. And guess who said people are. If you said Nina and Fabian, you would be right. Despite the hushed tones all around me, people asking their neighbors for answers on whatever question, I found myself locking in on their conversation.

"You think Victor took the real amulet and replaced it with a fake?" Fabian asked.

"Yeah. It's the only thing that makes sense. Why Patricia was blinded, how Victor has an amulet now. How he solved the chemistry task." A task? Of all the odd things I've overheard this bunch say lately, that one was a new (and very Harry Potter-esqe) one by me.

"So you think he searched your room."

"He's done it before! A lot." Okay, that one freaked me out. Victor searches our rooms? Not exactly the kind of information I'd been wanting to learn.

"But it was hidden in the doll house," Fabian pointed out. Amber and Nina had mentioned that the night before. What doll house? And why on Earth does Fabian know about it._ You're talking about the boy who was playing hopscotch_, I reminded myself.

"You know how smart he is," Nina reminded him. "You really think anything hidden in a drawer in a doll house would be enough?" He didn't answer. "This really isn't good." For the first time, I realized how panicked she sounded. What was going on?

"Calm down," Fabian muttered, rubbing the back of her hand soothingly.

"How can I calm down? If he finds it first..." She couldn't finish her sentence. Find what? What would happen.

"I know. We need to tell the others about this, though. Sibuna meeting after school." There was that word! The one from my dream. I knew it wasn't just my subconscious spelling Anubis backwards. And Nina was involved. "Maybe one of them will have an idea for getting the real amulet back." Nina nodded.

They went silent after that, giving me time to thing. And, boy, was there a lot of food for thought in that conversation. I knew this wasn't something I could leave alone. Somehow, Patricia was involved. That much I was sure. Whatever it is, it's something she doesn't want me to know.

I wondered how many of the Anubis House kids were in on this. Then I remembered Friday night. Nina, Patricia, Fabian, Amber, and Alfie. They all went down to the cellar... the cellar... Why did I get the feeling that it was more than just for storage? In that moment, I knew I had to get down there. I'd picked the lock once so Fabian could get in, I could do it again.

Another thing came to mind. What if I got the amulet? Would I get some answers? I figured that would was another thing to go on the agenda.

Suddenly, I felt kind of bad. Patricia didn't want me anywhere near this whole Sibuna thing, but here I was, listening in on their conversations and plotting to steal something before they could. Not to mention spy on them and find out what they were up to in the cellar. She hated me for keeping secrets, and to pull this off there would be a lot of those.

_Be careful what house of cards you knock over, child._ I got the impression that this was the house of cards the shadow lady was talking about. I was getting too close. But I was too close to stop now. _Time to build my own house of cards._

~OoO~

I voted against following them to their 'Sibuna meeting.' It would be too easy to get caught. Instead, I decided to go back to Anubis House and try to think of a way to get the amulet off of Victor. But, speak of the devil.

As I passed Mr. Swe... Dad's office, I heard his voice through the door opened ajar. I should have kept walking. Hadn't I done enough eavesdropping lately? And they say curiosity killed the cat. But the thing about cats is that they have nine lives.

"I've been having trouble deciphering the book, but I'm getting there," Victor said.

"Good, good," Dad agreed, but he didn't sound too excited. "Victor, are you sure you wish to pursue this?"

"We've been over this, Eric."

"You still don't have the cup," Dad pointed out firmly. I got the feeling he'd said this before. But a cup? Really?

"But, if I have the elixir, other solutions will present themselves." Dad sighed.

"What did you want, exactly?"

"I think I may have a way to know the children's progress and information without following them and trying to make sense of whatever lies they chose to spin."

"And how do you plan to do that, Victor?"

"Ms. Williamson has been getting particularly close to another Anubis student. One who's not already inside."

"And who's that?" Dad asked. My heart sunk a little. I'd been hoping he wouldn't find out I was with Patricia. I was still pretty sure he thought she hated me.

"Edison." I could almost see Dad's eyes widening.

"You will not use my son, Victor!"

"Open your mind, Eric!"

"He's _not_ a pawn to be used at your convenience!" There was shuffling. They were standing, I was sure. "And this is the last I want to hear of this!" I took that as a good time to leave. I really didn't want to get caught after that little scene. One thing crossed my mind as I made my way back to Anubis House: this was going to be harder than I thought.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"Are you okay?" Patricia asked. "You're being awefully quite... which is saying something." I rolled my eyes but smiled. You would think that after deciding to see where a relationship would go, the slams would stop. Nope, just toned down... Granted, they were toned down a lot, but we make a point to get in a joke whenever we can.

"Yeah. Just... thinking." She looked at me for a moment, concentrating.

"About..." she prompted.

"Nothing. Just... nothing." I could see the look on her face (without looking), but ignored it. She didn't need to know just yet. Maybe I should just give up my obsession with this whole Sibuna thing and get on with my life. I mean, Victor already wanted to use me as his (and this is my dad's word, not mine) pawn, which was something I'd rather not even think about, let alone do. Something was telling me it would not get me on either of their good graces if I kept going.

But, then again, when have I ever cared what anyone thought about me? Okay, maybe Patricia... and there was a girl back in the States who I'd liked a bit, but that didn't work so well (There's a song by Sick Puppies that's pretty close to summing it up). And my dad was never there for me, leaving Mom and my step dad, Derek, to raise me.

And if Patricia found out... would she be mad? Would they all be mad? Probably. But this was just too tempting to let go. And it had to be big if Victor was involved which, at this point, I was sure he was.

"Hello!" Patricia said, waving a hand in front of my face, snapping me out of my thoughts. "Earth to Eddie." I shook my head in an attempt to clear it.

"Sorry. What were you saying?" She rolled her eyes.

"I was _saying _that I think dinner's ready." I nodded.

"Right. Food. Sounds good." She gave me an odd look, but let it go. I was distracted through dinner, my mind crowded with an internal debate. I could tell Patricia was either worried or suspicious. Could I blame her?

~OoO~

I was relieved I could escape to bed because my head was killing me again. But, that relief didn't last long because I had another confusing dream that seemed like more than a dream. I was in a dusty room. It was small and didn't seem to have a door. I was just wondering where I was when the scene changed. I was looking at a hand-drawn map that had heiroglypics. And the mark that had been on Patricia's wrist!

"Be careful child," an elderly voice said, and I was in what I was sure was one of the girls' rooms. A glowing old woman stood there. She smiled. "You're playing with fire."

"I'm sorry?"

"Some mysteries are best left unsolved." I sighed.

"Yeah, I can imagaine, but I need to know."

"And why's that?" I opened my mouth to answer, but found I had no answer. "If you turn back now, you can continue living your normal life. Continue, and you may not like where you end up."

"Who are you?" I asked, changing the subject.

"My name was Sarah Frobisher-Smythe." The name sounded so familiar, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

"Was?" She just smiled and nodded.

"Sleep well, child. The dark one cannot touch you tonight, while I am watching over the House." Then it went to black.

~OoO~

Sarah Frobisher-Smythe. Why had I heard that name before? Then it hit me. The Frobisher sheild that Jerome, Amber, and Alfie won at the ping-pong tourniment. But that still didn't tell me who Sarah is... was. Finally, I couldn't help but ask.

"Patricia, who was Sarah Frobisher Smythe?" I asked. Appearently it was random because she looked at me like I was insane.

"Why?"

"I heard the name and I'm trying to figure out who she is," I lied smoothly. She looked pretty convinced.

"She grew up in Anubis House; her dad was Robert Frobisher-Smythe." I nodded. That made sense.

"You've been acting very odd lately."

"Have I?" She just stared at me. "Sorry, I've had a lot on my mind."

"Like..." I said the first thing that came to mind (which was only half lying).

"My mom called a few days ago. She lost her job, and they've been having a hard time on only Derek's pay."

"Derek?" I nodded.

"My step dad." This surprised her. The only thing she knew about my family was that Mr. Sweet was my dad. I never really bothered telling anyone about my family because, well, they all live here in England (save for Nina), where I live in the States. I didn't see why it mattered. Sure, if they visited, which didn't seem likely, I wouldn't care if they knew about my mom and step dad. But it just didn't matter.

"I'm sure things will work out," she said soothingly.

"I hope so," I said. "I really, really do."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Victor was in his office. I could see the amulet on the desk. His door was open just a crack, but I hoped it was enough. I knew I would only have one shot at this. So, I pulled the empty water bottle out of my bag and began to twist it. See, we always did this back in the States to tick off the teachers. Personally, I thought it was a little boring, but now seemed a good time to test it's usefulness.

I kept glancing at Victor's office to make sure I haven't been discovered. I hadn't. No one was in sight downstairs. I knew the top was close to popping, it was just a matter of seconds. Finally, it flew off with a loud _pop!_ and smoke came from the bottle. I hastily shoved it back in my bag and looked around, pretending to be confused. Victor ran out.

"What was that?" he asked suspiciously. I shrugged, eyes a little wide.

"It sounded like it came from downstairs," I told him. He looked down... actually, he glared. Apparently, he didn't see anything.

"Stay here." With that, he stepped around me and marched down. As soon as he disappeared into the boy's hallway, I took my chance and went into his office. _Please tell me he left it! Please!_ Lady Luck was on my side, it turned out. It was sitting on the desk. After a second, I pulled out the fake from my bag. I felt bad about having taken it the day before, but this was worth it. Better I have the real one than Victor, right? And I'd give it back to them... eventually.

Without wasting another second, I scooped up the real one and stowed it in my bag. I was careful to place the fake in the same spot. It wouldn't be good if I got caught because I didn't put the dang thing close enough to where it should have been. With my task down, I ran back out, and looked like I'd been standing there the whole time. Not a moment too soon, either because Victor was just coming out of the boy's hallway.

"Find anything?" I called. He glared up at me.

"No. Not a thing out of place." Great. He suspected me. "If this is one of your little pranks-" But, his threat was cut short when Vera came out of the kitchen. Good thing, too. I did _not _want to think about what Victor would do to me if it was one of my 'little pranks.'

They exchanged a few words, things I couldn't hear, but then he remembered I was still standing there. "Get to class," he snapped. I all but ran down the stairs and out the door. Mission accomplished.

~OoO~

As soon as I got to school, I got rid of the evidence of my little escapade (the crinkled-up and much abused water bottle). In case Victor _did _find out about the fake soon, I decided that the amulet should never leave my side because he's been known to do room searches. And bag searches... So, making sure no one was watching, I put it on under my shirt so even the chord was hidden. I imagined that's how the Sibuna's hid theirs.

I made my way quickly to class. After being scolded for my tardiness, I took my usual seat. "Where were you?" Patricia asked in a whisper. I smiled a bit slyly.

"I had something to take care of." Did I feel bad about not telling her the truth? Heck yeah. Was I going to tell her the truth? Not if I valued my life (which I did, by the way). She looked like she was about to press for details, but we were then yelled at for talking. But I knew she wasn't about to let this die. I mean, I wouldn't anyway.

~OoO~

After school, we all headed back to Anubis House. I was talking to Patricia when Nina came up and grabbed her arm. "Sorry, Eddie, but I really need to talk to Patricia." I raised an eyebrow. "It's really, really important." I sighed.

"See you back at the house," I muttered. She smiled and kissed me on the cheek. I watched her walk away. Maybe this was just some girl or school thing that no one else was going to hear about. Then Fabian, Amber, and Alfie joined them and I knew this was a Sibuna thing. _Do I_ _follow them? Do I follow them? I really shouldn't... Yeah, I gotta follow them._

Making sure I was hidden, I followed them to a clearing in the woods. I stayed behind a really thick tree where I could hear everything they said. Nina spoke first.

"Fabian and I think we might have a plan for getting the amulet back." My eyes widened. This probably would _not _be good.

"Patricia," Fabian said, "do you think Eddie would help us without pressing for details?"

"Eddie? Not ask questions?" She laughed. I rolled my eyes. Typical Patricia.

"Do you think he would cause a distraction without pressing for details," Nina amended. If I didn't already have the amulet, I probably would have. Why miss a chance to pull a prank?

"Probably," Patricia admitted. "Why, what's your plan?"

"Well, we were thinking that we spy on Victor and find a time when he's not wearing the amulet. Then, we get Eddie to make a mess or something downstairs. In the confusion, we go in Victor's office and replace the real amulet with the fake."

"That actually might work," Amber mused.

"It's worth a shot," Alfie added.

"Sibuna?" Fabian asked. I took this as a good time to leave. As I went, I heard a chorus of 'Sibuna' trail after me. One thought filled my mind as I made my way back to Anubis house. _Well, crud. _


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"Hey," Patricia greeted as she took as seat beside me. I'd just gotten back to the house a couple minutes before. Her smile turned a bit confused as she reached for my head. When she brough her hand back in front of me, she was holding a small leaf. Just my luck. "You go rolling around in the grass or something?" I laughed and rolled my eyes. Appearently, the leaf didn't make her suspicious. Just made her laugh. I was still safe.

"Maybe I wanted it there," I teased. She smacked my arm lightly. Then, she turned serious.

"I need to ask you something." And, here it comes. For some reason, I expected her to take longer than ten minutes to get to the point. Then again, this _is _Patricia.

"Shoot." After a second's hesitation, she spoke.

"Well, Victor confinscated something important from Nina, and here in the next couple of days, we were going to..."

"Steal it back?" I guessed. She looked a bit sheepish.

"Yeah. Would you be interested in causing a loud, possibly messy destraction?" I pretened to think for a moment.

"Will I get in trouble?" I asked. Rather than giving me a truthful answer, she bit her lip and looked away. "I'm in." In retrospect, that probably would have been the best time to come clean. Nothing good would come of this, I was sure. But something kept me quiet. Out of the corner of my eye, I could have sworn I saw a shadow. When I glanced over to where it should have been, there was only an empty part of the wall.

~OoO~

In my dream that night, I was in the old library where the Egyptian Exhibit was. But, I could only focus on one thing. The mask. I didn't know why, but I could tell it was important. Vitally important. As I stared into it's eyes (yes, I know they're just eye holes that look at the wall behind it), I got the impression that it had a dark spell on it, like a driving force. You know what I mean?

Words echoed around me. _Find the mask or forfeit your lives. _That sent chills down my spine. But I knew it was in the most literal sense possible. Lives were at stake. _Watch the time piece. _

Then I was running down an endless hall. I could hear footsteps around me but the darkness was consuming. My lungs burned, sweat poured down my face. As I ran, my chest tightened uncomfortably, but I didn't stop. Even when my throat burned and coughs came out, getting worse and worse.

I woke up with a start. Sweat drenched my shirt and matted my hair to my forhead. I coughed a little, but not nearly as bad as in my dream. A glance at my clock said it was six thirty. Close enough to seven to get up. Besides, I needed a shower.

~OoO~

In English later that day, yet another conversation drifted my way. "It's gone, Fabian," Nina whispered.

"What do you mean gone?" She gave him a 'seriously?' look and he nodded. "How could it be gone?" She shook her head.

"I don't know," she admitted. "I don't see why Victor would have stolen it back if it was fake." They were talking about the amulet. Suddenly, it felt like it weighted a hundred pounds.

"Don't worry," Fabian said reassuringly. "We'll figure this out." She nodded, but I don't think she was convinced. I'd noticed recently that Nina always seemed panicked, as if she was always in danger. This brought memories of my dream back. I suppressed a shudder.

I felt guilty. The Sibunas were all worried and I probably wasn't helping matters. I decided that, if I learned anything else, I would come clean. Tell them what I knew. Maybe that would help them. Even if they hated me, I had to do it. I may be what everyone considered a 'trouble maker' but I did have a conscience.

So, I went through the school day with that mind-set. Finally, I decided I'd had enough. At lunch, I snuck out and went back to the house. It was easy to get in without being spotted, making a sandwich, and getting into my room. I put on my headphones and drown myself in music. I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I remembered was Fabian shaking my shoulder, regarding me curiously. I turned off the music.

"Hey," I muttered.

"How long have you been here?"

"Since lunch," I told him, turning my iPod off. Fabian nodded. "Did I miss anything important?" He just shrugged. "Helpful."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

I was having trouble sleeping that night, only partially from my nap earlier. The other part was the dreams I'd been plagued by lately. So Fabian sneaking out around midnight didn't go unnoticed. I figured it wouldn't hurt too much to follow him. Yes, the promise I'd made myself, to tell them if I learned anything new, burned in the back of my mind, but I couldn't stop myself.

I peaked out the door. The others were all gathered in the lobby, looking up. "It's clear," I heard one of the girls say. They went into the kitchen. Quickly, I grabbed a coat hanger and snuck past the kitchen. Making sure they were right, I picked the lock into the cellar. As quiet as I could, I shut the door behind me and crept down. Peering around the edge, I saw they were just getting there. All of them stopped in front of a crowded shelf.

Nina reached up the mantel and began do something. After a moment, I realized she was turning pieces on it. I strained to she what to. Then, the panel slid over. My eyes widened as they went into a small room. It slid closed behind them. After a moment, I went over. I realized the pieces she was turning made a number. 1890.

For a brief second, I considered following, but didn't. It would have been a good time to come clean, but I was admittedly scared about that. I really didn't want to ruin what I had with Patricia... I decided I would wait and go down another night, and if I found anything important, I would tell them what I knew the next day. I could live with that.

~OoO~

I got my chance two days later. Nina was going to see her grandma again and Amber was going with her. Alfie and Jerome were going out to town for something I didn't care about. Patricia's parents were taking her and Piper out too. The only one who would still be at Anubis House that night until considerably late would be Fabian, and he'd been doing a lot of research or something lately, so I wasn't too worried about him. I was in the clear.

So, I grabbed my coat hanger when Fabian was in the bathroom and made my way quietly to the cellar door. I wondered how they all got to the cellar from the kitchen, but decided it didn't matter. After making sure Victor wouldn't see me, I picked the lock and slipped in. Then I went over to where they were the night before. _Here goes nothing, _I thought. I turned the pieces to the number '1890.' As it had last night, the door slid open. With a smile, I went in. It closed behind me.

I looked around, finding myself in the small, dusty room with no door... it was the room from one of my dreams! I was sure it was... but how could they possibly be doing anything in here? It was just a room full of books and ancient furnisher. And I had no way out...

I studied the panel carefully, noticing a notch on the wall. Curious, I pressed it. The door slid open. _Okay, that's one problem solved_, I thought as it slid shut again. Not knowing what to do, I pulled my amulet out from under my shirt, hoping something would happen. No such luck. With nothing else to do, I walked over to the book case. They were all dusty and old... except one. There was less dust on it... and what looked like finger prints in the dust. They had pulled this book off the shelf. Why?

There was only one thing I could do. I pulled it off. And, just like in some old spy movie, the book case spun around. I put the book back cauciousely, but nothing happened. When I turned to face my new surrounding, I found myself in a dusty, cobweb-y hallway. A hallway that also had a golden light coming closer and closer. I backed against the wall.

But, when the light reached my chest, it disappeared. I looked down. The amulet! That's what it did! It stopped that light... from doing what? I thought back to something I'd heard a while ago. Nina told Fabian that the beacon blinded people unless they wore an amulet. I think I found that beacon.

With that lovely thought, I started walking down the hall. After three turns, I stopped dead in my tracks. There was a hole in the floor. Not just a hole, it was a bottomless pit...

"Sure, as if this house isn't weird enough, let's throw in a bottomless pit too." I looked over the edge. "Fudge," I muttered. Shaking my head, I looked at the bridge thing. It didn't look very sturdy, but if they could all cross it, so could I. Taking a deep breath, I started across.

I'll tell you this, it was one of the most nerve-wracking things I've ever done, right behind kissing a girl who was likely to beat me silly. Finally, I was on the other side. I made my way quickly farther into the halls. There were a lot of weird looking places, but I finally found a room. I could see the door, it just wasn't open. But the weirdest thing about this room? Beams of light that connected to each other from... hands. I shook my head.

After trying (and failing) to open the door, I decided to knock off. If I'd stayed a little longer, I would have noticed the shadow. I would have heard the sinister laughter. But I didn't.

~OoO~

In my dream, I was in the dining room. I wondered why nothing was happening, but then the shadow lady appeared. She was smiling.

"What do you want?" I asked, irritated.

"You've come far, child. And you know too much." That like what someone in a movie would say right before they announce that the one who knows too much must be destroyed. She started to come closer. I backed away.

"Stay away from me," I commanded. Unsurprisingly, I didn't work. Her palm glowed as she reached for me and grabbed my right wrist. Even though it was a dream, I could feel a searing pain.

"I warned you to be careful with which house of cards you overturn. Now you will pay the price." She laughed evilly and I woke with a start, sweat making my face sticky. Panting, I stood up. My skin felt too hot. I had to cool down.

In the bathroom, I splashed ice cold water on my face. It felt amazing. For some reason, I couldn't quite figure out what my dream had been about, only that it was really bad. Trying to remeber, I put my right arm over my head. In the mirror, I noticed something odd. A black mark on my wrist. I studied for a moment. It looked so familiar. Then I remembered. Patricia's mark...

I tried rubbing it away, but it was still there. Even water wouldn't wash it away. "No. No, no, no, no, no!" I ran back to my room, flipping on the light. Fabian didn't stir. Even when I shook him, he hardly grumbled. I pulled his pillow out from under his head. "Dude, wake up!" I exclaimed as I hit him with the pillow.

"Eddie," he mumbled, "it's four in the morning! What's your problem?" I showed him my wrist. It took him a moment to register what he was seeing. When he figured it out, he sat bolt upright.

"How... when...?" Something in my eyes must have sobered him up. "Come on!" He pulled my out of the room. After getting Alfie (much to Jerome's displeasure), we ran as quietly as we could upstairs. He knocked on Nina's door.

"Alfie, go get Patricia," he said before the door opened. Alfie nodded and raced to the end of the hall. He knocked again. "Nina, Amber. Open up! It's important." Finally it did.

"Fabian, what's so important it can't wait till morning?" She saw me. "And why did you bring him?" Fabian held up my arm, showing her the mark. Her eyes widened and we were pulled in. I was pushed on the bed as Patricia and Alfie came in.

"What's going on?" Patricia asked, clearly irritated. Nina showed her my wrist.

"Some how, Eddie got cursed."


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: So, the story is officially AU. And, there's only between three and five-ish chapeters left (not exactly certain how many). So, hope you like it.

Chapter 10

"How did this happen?" Patricia demanded. I looked away sheepishly. All eyes were on me. They were waiting for an answer I knew I had to give.

"I might have been following you guys for a while..." The reaction was instant. Five angry gazes burning holes in my face. I deserved it though.

Nina took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. "Start at the beginning." I nodded.

"The beginning... that would be... the night before Patricia got her voice back." Their looks seemed to say 'that long?' But none of them said anything. I told them about what I overheard about the beacon and blindness. Then about how I saw Patricia's mark. At this point, I was cut off.

"You didn't think we needed to know that?" Nina asked Patricia. She shrugged.

"I told him it was nothing and he didn't ask any questions."

"Aren't you the one who said he can't go without asking questions?" Fabian asked. Patricia opened her mouth, about to give what was probably a witty comeback, but Nina cut her off.

"Guys, let's just listen to Eddie." They nodded. She motioned for me to continue. So I did. I thought for a second to get back to where I was and picked up from there.

I told them everything I overheard when I was going up to get my iPod from Patricia's room. Victor talking about solving a challenge and Nina telling Amber about the fake. Before I could go on, I was interupted again.

"You were eavesdropping?" Amber asked. I rolled my eyes.

"Trust me, that's not the last of it. It happens. Can I go on?" She recoiled a bit, but nodded. I sighed. This was harder than I thought it was going to be. All the accusing stares. It was hard to take. Anyway, I told them about my first dream.

"Senkhara," Nina whispered, but that was it. Not sure what she was talking about, I went on. After another moment of figuring out what I learned next, I continued with what I overheard Nina telling Fabian about the fake amulet. Next was what I overheard between Victor and my dad. The only thing I kept secret was that he was my dad. Besides, that wasn't really important.

Then came the dream about the map thing and Sara. Nina was really surprised about that, but I decided I'd ask later. Finally, I was at the part where theft was involved.

"You took the fake amulet?" Nina exclaimed. She was angry. "What did you do with it?" I pulled the real one out from under my shirt.

"I took Victor's." Complete silence. I decided it was best to go on. To the part where I followed them and listened in on their Sibuna meeting. More angry glares. Then my next dream, where I was looking at the mask in the exhibit, about the voice that said 'find the mask or forfeit your lives.' No one said anything, waiting with bated breath.

Next was the conversation where they discovered the fake was missing. Then spying on them in the cellar. No one even reacted at this point. Until I told them I went into the tunnles. They were surprised, but I think it was more due to the fact that I actually figured it out without going blind.

"And that's it. I had a dream of the shadow lady again and I woke up with this." It make my point, I held up my wrist.

"What are we going to do?" Fabian asked. Nina sighed.

"We don't have a lot of choices. He's cursed, same as us. Might as well help." Everyone nodded, some more reluctant than the others. She turned to me. "As you already know, we're Sibuna. There are a lot of secrets in the house, and we've had to figure them out before Victor since last term. You don't have to help us if you don't want to, but..."

"I'll do it." They all were surprised. "I shouldn't have spied on you, but I did and I can't change that, but I can make up for it. I'll do whatever you need." It was late, we were tired, Nina told us to get out. Before we parted ways, Patricia pulled me aside.

"You don't understand the curse, do you?"

"No," I admitted.

"Nina has to find the mask first or forfeit her life. That's what Senkhara, the shadow lady, said. When she marked us, we became tied to Nina." I stared blankly back at her. She sighed. "If Victor gets the mask before us we are all going to die.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

As you could imagine, that went over like a ton of bricks, but I kept my face as smooth as possible. I don't think she was convinced. Patricia looked like she wanted to add something, but she couldn't find the words. Instead, she kissed me on the cheek and walked away. I followed suit, realizing just how tired I was.

But, as I went down to my room, I saw Victor coming out of the cellar. I was toast! But I realized that he was stumbling around, arms outstretched to feel his surroundings. He was blind. As quiet as I could, I made my way to the bottom of the stairs and to the opposite wall. He didn't realize I was there. Once he disappeared up the stairs, made for my room.

~OoO~

You're sure he's blind?" Nina asked. I nodded.

"But he won't be for long," Fabian said. "And now he knows his amulet is the fake."

"That doesn't matter," Nina said. She was happier than I'd ever seen her. I wasn't exactly sure why, but it was kind of contagious. Everyone seemed to be glowing along with her. "I say we go down tonight and finally get through." I held up a hand. They all looked at me questioningly.

"Why couldn't you finish it before."

"Your amulet," Patricia whispered. "We think it's the one that opens the door, but Victor had it." I nodded. In the back of my mind, I was wondering why this amulet was so special. It was the same as the rest, but it opened the last door? But, it didn't matter. It was on their side now.

~OoO~

"One of those brats stole something from me, I'm sure," Victor exclaimed. I paused by the door. I was beginning to wonder how much of this my dad knew.

"What was taken?" There was silence.

"I'm not at liberty to say," Victor told Dad stiffly. Dad sighed.

"I can't help if I don't know what was taken, Victor."

"I'm willing to bet it was Ms. Martin," Victor huffed. "She's done such a thing before." I shook my head. There was no way he wasn't talking about the amulet. It was best not to linger. So, I put it out of my mind.

~OoO~

"Are you sure you want to go, Eddie?" Nina asked for the hundredth time. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

"Yes, I'm sure." Patricia grabbed my hand gently.

"It could be dangerous," she told me. "You don't have to take that kind of risk."

"Look," I said, "I never meant to be part of this and I know you guys didn't want anyone else involved, but I am now. I have the curse, same as all of you. I'd rather be in danger down there, but helping than safe, but doing nothing up here." There was a surprised pause.

"I'd say he wants to go," Fabian decided. "Anyway, we're wasting time talking about this. Let's just go." We nodded.

Unfortunately, I didn't see Amber come up from behind me. Her foot got caught around my ankle. She fell to the floor with a squeak. No one was quite sure what to do. When she tried to stand, her ankle gave under the weight, but I managed to catch her before she fell. Fabian helped me get her to the bed.

"Someone get her some ice," Patricia snapped.

~OoO~

"How's your ankle?" Nina asked softly.

"Better," Amber admitted, "but there's no way I'll be able to go with you." Nina sighed.

"Amber," I said, "I am _so _sorry!" She gave me a small smile.

"You didn't _mean _to trip me," she said. When she spoke again, it was to all of us. "Promise me you'll be careful."

"We will," Nina assured her. "And when we get back, we'll all be curse-free." The words 'or dead' hung in the air, almost daring somebody to say them. On one did. "You just rest." We turned to leave.

"Good luck," she called after us. We made our way quietly downstairs and into the kitchen. Alfie kept watch as Nina opened the oven door thing.

"Okay," she said. One by one, we crawled down, ending up in the cellar. The coast was clear. Behind the secret panel, we pulled our amulets out, letting them rest on our shirts. Before we went on, Nina decided to give one of her pep talks.

"This is it, guys. After we go through the book case, there's no turning back." She raised a hand to her eye. "Sibuna?" We coppied the movement.

"Sibuna!" With that, we went through the book case. The familiar golden light travled up to our amulets, disappearing on contact. We all but ran down the tunnels, pausing only across the chasm. Finally, we were in the last hall. Nina turned to me.

"Give me your amulet." Without hesitation, I pulled it off and gave it to her. She pressed it to the hole on the wall. It glowed for a moment before the room started to shake. The door rumbled open. Smiling, she handed it back and I put it on.

We were just about to go in when there was clapping behind us. As one, we spun around. Victor was there, looking evil as ever.

"Victor!" Nina sqeaked.

"Congratulations, children," he said. "You've made my job easier."

"He's wearing Amber's amulet!" Alfie exclaimed. Victor straightened it before stepping closer. He caught sight of mine.

"So your the one who stole my previous amulet. Why am I not surprised?" I just glared at him. "Wait until your father learns that his son is a theif." He didn't wait for a response. "Now, step aside."

"You can't do this, Victor," Nina plead.

"Watch me."

"You don't understand-"

"No," he yelled, cutting her off, "_you _don't understand, Miss Martin! You've broken nearly every rule at this school. You've made a powerful enemy. If I don't get that mask, I will see to it that you are all expelled. Even you, Mr. _Miller_." Yeah, expelled and dead.

Without waiting for a reaction, he pushed Nina aside (sucessfully knocking her to the floor) and raced down the pitch black hall. Fabian helped her up and we took off after him. The hall was endless. Adrinaline kept us going. Before too long, my legs and lungs burned. Sweat poured down my face. I was aware of a tight feeling in my chest. Then my throat. I began to cough.

Finally, we were at the end of the tunnel. Victor was five feet from a pedistal in the middle of the room. Before I could talk myself out of it or Victor could reach it (whichever came first), I charged him, tackling him to the floor. Despite the fact that he was like a billion years old, he threw me off quickly.

I couldn't breath. My coughing got worse. I was hacking up a lung or something. He was right there. It was right there. The mask. It seemed to glow in its own light.

"Victor, stop!" Nina begged. I was recieving worried looks. I realized what was happening. Victor was so close to the mask. The curse was beginning. If Nina didn't get the mask soon, I would be the first to die.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

"What's wrong with him?" Victor asked, kind of accusingly. Nina looked around at all of us, eyes finally resting on me. Each cough brought a stabbing pain to my chest and was worse than the one before. My breath was coming out in pants. Nina sighed.

Before she could rethink her decicion, she shrugged out of her jacket and pulled up her teeshirt sleeve, revealing her mark. Fabian did the same. Alfie lifted up his pant leg while Patricia took off her many bracelets. I managed to tug my sleeve up enough to count.

"Wha...?" Victor didn't know what to say.

"These marks show that we're cursed," Nina explained hastily. "If you take that mask, we're all going to die." Another cough filled the air, but it wasn't mine. All eyes turned to Alfie who was now starting to cough more.

"Not you too!" Amber cried.

"Why should I believe you?" Everyone gave him 'are you serious?' looks. "How do I know all of this isn't just an act?" I coughed again, tasting something odd in my mouth. I didn't like it, so I spat. The sliva was streaked with red. I was coughing up blood!

On the bright side, Victor seemed pretty convinced that it wasn't 'just and act.' He hesitated, obviously weighing his desire for the mask with our lives. He said something, but it was a million miles away. Black surrounded my vision. The last thing I remember before losing consiousness was Patricia on her knees next to me, shaking me to try and keep my awake. I guess it didn't work.

~OoO~

Third-Person POV

The room was silent, all eyes on the now unconsious Eddie. Patricia was still shaking him, trying in vain to awaken him. His breaths were shallow. Victor bit his lip for a moment before sighing and stepping aside.

"Take the mask," he muttered, utterly defeated.

"Thank you," Nina breathed, stepping up to the pedistal. He grumbled something, but no one paid him any mind. They all watched with bated breath as Nina picked up the mask. A golden light seemed to surround her. Soon, it spread to the others. All of them winced as pain seared where their marks were, or rather used to be. They had disappeared, even Eddie's.

A shadow stepped forward from the back wall and the form of Senkhara materialized for all of them, even Victor, to see. She smiled triumphantly.

"You've done well, Chosen One." Nina didn't respond. "Now, give me the mask." As she was about to hand it over, Patricia stopped her.

"Nina, he's not breathing!" Senkhara forgotten, Nina ran back to the others. Sure enough, there was no rise and fall in Eddie's chest. He was completely still. Outraged, Nina turned on Senkhara.

"We got you the mask! Help him." Senkhara frowned, but she didn't seem too upset.

"You were too slow. The curse had settled in before you got the mask. He is beyond my help." She reached for the mask, but Nina moved back.

"He is beyond your help," an unfamiliar man's voice said, "but not beyond mine." Another figure appeared. This was a young man... no, not young. He was timeless. His voice was ancient, commanding respect. His skin was golden, glowing even.

"Who are you?" Nina asked. He gave her a wry smile.

"I am Anubis." All eyes widened in shock.

"Anubis..." Fabian repeated. "As in the god of death and funerals?" Anubis glared at him.

"How many other Anubis' do you know?" Fabian looked away, uncomfortable.

"That's impossible," Patricia said. "The gods weren't real." He gave a humorless laugh.

"You'd think after a few centuries, one would get used to hearing that. Then again, how would you like being told you didn't exist?" No one said anything. "The Egyptians were one of the most advanced civilizations of their time, do you really think they would be dim enough to warship gods who didn't exist?"

"Why are you here?" Nina asked, cutting a hole in the awkwardness.

"Senkhara is always up to something." He glared at her, but rather than shrinking away, she held her ground. "It has cost you a friend."

"You can bring people back to life?" Alfie asked.

"Normally? No. But this is a special case."

"How?" He looked Nina in the eyes. Instantly, she began to feel sad, heartbroken.

"Put on the mask, Chosen One." Without question, she did so. It seemed to disappear on contact, but she looked different. Her skin glowed gold like Anubis'. "You may weep." Immediately, she began to cry. But the tears weren't normal tears. They were tears of gold.

"You know what to do." As if she'd been doing it her whole life, she walked over to Eddie. She spoke as she cried.

"Through tears of gold I call you back

from the land of those time fogot.

Curse be gone, time be black,

return home from the Daut!"

As these words came out, the tears of gold spilled onto Eddie's shirt. But nothing happened. Tears also fell from Patrica's eyes. Fabian looked at the floor, while Alfie couldn't look away. Victor was nowhere to be found.

Acting on a moment of impulse, Patricia leaned down and pressed her lips to Eddie's. There was a sudden, loud intake of breath. His chest began to rise and fall again, though it was ragged. His eyes fluttered open for a moment, but fell closed again. But he kept breathing. All eyes turned to Anubis.

"The boy will be fine," he told them lazily. Senkhara stepped forward.

"You have your friend back, Chosen One," she said, "now give me the mask!"

"I think not," Anubis said, stepping in front of her. She was about to protest, but he cut her off. "You've caused these children enough problems. Return to the Daut where you belong."

"But-"

"Begone, spirit!" When he clapped, she disappeared in a cloud of smoke. "The mask, Chosen One. May I have it back?" Nodding, Nina took it off and handed it to him. "I shall grant you safe passage out of the tunnels," he promised before evaporating into a million sparks.

"That went well," Alfie said lightly a moment later.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Incase you're not sure, the Daut is the Egyptian word for the Land of the Dead, the underworld. Just a little something I've picked up from reading The Kane Chronicals (by Rick Riordan). Anyway, this is the last chapter. Hope you liked the story. All the best, -A

Chapter 13

My head _killed_. That's the first thing I was aware of. Actually, my entire body ached, but not as bad as the migrain. I heard whispered voices around me and kind of wanted to tell them to shut up, but I couldn't figure out how. Slowly, I peeled my eyes open. The white light hurt for a moment, but I adjusted. Then realized I wasn't at Anubis House.

"Were'm I?" I managed to choke out. Faces turned to me. First of all, I noticed my dad, his face a mask of worry. Then Patricia. Then... my mom? That didn't make sense...

"It's okay, honey," Mom told me. "You're fine." I was struggling to make sense of all this.

"Where am I?" I repeated, more comprehisivly. She smiled sadly.

"In a hospital... don't you remember what happened?" I shook my head.

"You got rather ill," Dad told me. Suddenly, I remembered coughing up blood. In the tunnels... The mask! They got it! "You've been unconsious for a little over three days." Now that one was hard to take in.

"You're lucky you have such good friends," Mom said, smiling at Patricia. "Had they not found you..." She pursed her lips. I didn't say anything. I really wanted to talk to Patricia. Appearently, they saw that because they both stood.

"Come along, Melissa," Dad said, "we should find a nurse to come and check on him."

"Right," Mom agreed. "And tell his friends the good news while we're at it." With that lame excuse, they left. We sat a moment in silence.

"What's up, Yacker?" I asked with my best attempt at a smile. "You're being awfully quiet." She sighed.

"Just thinking..." I realized what was bothering her.

"What happened down there?" I asked in a whisper. After looking over her shoulder, she leaned in.

"You didn't _almost _die," she told me. "You did die." I couldn't hide my shock.

"But... I'm kind of alive..." There were footsteps.

"I'll explain it to you later." I nodded, intending to hold her to that. A nurse walked in, smiling sweetly.

"How do you feel, dear?" she asked softly. I wasn't quite sure how to answer. "Painkillers?" I nodded. She injected the medicine into one of the bag thingies that you see in hospital shows and stuff. Almost instantly, I felt drowsy.

"Sleep," Patricia muttered soothingly. "I'll be right here when you wake up." With those words hanging in my mind, I closed my eyes and drifted off.

~OoO~

It's a funny feeling, knowing you died and came back. I was released from the hospitala few days later because the doctors couldn't find anything wrong with me. Go figure. So, I was finally able to go back to Anubis House.

When I got back, I was surprised to learn that something eventful happened the day after I was taken to the hospital. Vera was arrested. It was a bit confusing to follow. Appearently, Jerome discovered that she'd helped some guy (I didn't know who) kidnap Trudy while looking for Frobisher-Smyth artifacts to steal. Trudy was returned and was back to being house mother. Everything worked out.

I was also told something different about Vera. She'd been after the mask too, helping Victor to try to get it. And she'd been blackmailing Jasper into helping her get the artifacts to give them to a person they called the Collector. Mara was completely right about Vera and was allowed to resume her spot as editor on the school website. Needless to say, Joy wasn't a very happy camper.

True to her word, Patricia told me everything that had happened in the tunnels. Some of it, I remembered like anything else, but others... it was like trying to look through gauze. Not impossible, but not easy. And knowing I'd died and the god Anubis himself allowed me to come back? Completely undiscribable.

My mom stayed for a while, contiually trying to convince me to come home. I kept telling her I wanted to stay. A week later, she had to go home. Before she left, she tried one more time.

"Are you sure you want to stay, honey?" I sighed.

"Positive. I like it here." She smiled sadly, patting my cheek.

"As much as you hate to admit it, you remind me a lot of your father." I rolled my eyes. "Try not to kill him." This made me laugh.

"That, I can do." She kissed me on the cheek like when I left, but this time I didn't protest. Let her have her motherly moment.

"Stay out of trouble," she told me as she headed for the door.

"No promises." With that, she was gone.

All in all, things worked out okay. We were safe, the mask was gone, Patricia and I haven't killed each other, and the world didn't explode. I realized just how true what I said to my mom was. I liked it there. I really, really liked it there.


End file.
